Riley Hospital for Children officials have confirmed that they recently treated a girl for a case of flesh-eating bacteria, which her mother said she developed after a trip to a Florida beach.

The medical term for this condition, necrotizing fasciitis, is not quite as lurid, but no matter what you call it, it can be a serious infection that results in death as often as 30 percent of the time.

Last spring an Indianapolis grandmother died after developing a similar infection on a trip to Florida, according to news reports. Her husband said he thought she might have contracted it in a hotel hot tub.

The strep strain that can cause necrotizing fasciitis.(Photo: CDC)

Here's what you need to know to keep yourself safe.

What exactly is flesh-eating bacteria?

Known in doctor-speak as necrotizing fasciitis, the term refers to an infection in which tissue is rapidly destroyed as an infection spreads, said Dr. Christopher Belcher, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent.

Is this a new disease?

Although the condition was first described more than 100 years ago, the term itself was not coined until the middle of last century. In recent years, media accounts of the condition have helped to increase awareness.

What causes this?

Typically the infection begins with an open wound. If certain types of bacteria enter the wound and go deep enough, they will reach fascia, or the tissue that covers the muscle.

Because blood flow to this area can be limited, the body may have difficulty dispatching blood cells there to fight the intruders, Belcher said. Even antibiotics may not be able to combat the bacteria.

Flat and smooth, the fascia can act as “super highway for bacteria, with no walls to stop them,” Belcher said. “With the lack of immune system involvement and a big open highway, the bacteria can quickly divide and cause an infection.”

How common is this?

Not that common, Belcher says.

“It’s not something I run into every week or every month, but several times a year as an infectious disease specialist, I will run into it,” he says.

Different bacteria or bacterial mixes can cause the condition, but the most common is group A strep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While agency scientists say that between 700 to 1,200 cases occur each year in the United States, they add that that is probably an underestimate.

Is this becoming more common?

The CDC says that it does not appear that cases caused by group A strep are becoming more common, but another type of bacteria, which is found in seawater, appears to be extending its reach.

A recent scientific report noted that this bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, once rarely north of the Chesapeake Bay, has been enjoying the waters of the Delaware Bay, which are now warmer thanks to climate change.

The report noted that one New Jersey hospital has seen five such infections contracted in Delaware Bay since 2017. From 2009 to 2017, the hospital saw only one such case.

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In order for this process to begin, the bacteria has to get deep to reach the fascia and be “a certain aggressive type of bacteria,” Belcher said. Some Strep A bacteria will cause this condition, but most do not.

Most group A strep infection go away on their own or with antibiotics, he said.

How is this treated?

Typically once it is recognized that this could be necrotizing fasciitis, surgery is done to remove the dead and infected tissue and start to curb the infection, experts say. A patient will also receive intravenous antibiotics.

What can I do to prevent this?

Nothing fancy, doctors say, just be careful whenever you get a cut to wash it well with soap and water and make sure it’s clean.

Getting a chicken pox vaccination can also help because having chicken pox is one of the highest risks of getting necrotizing fasciitis group A strep, Belcher says.

"Most of the time everything turns out fine when you have a wound or infected wound, but sometimes the wrong bacteria ends up in the wrong layer and it can take off,” Belcher said.

The Centers for Disease Control Prevention recommends staying out of hot tubs, swimming pools and natural bodies of water if you have an open wound or skin infection.

What are the symptoms to watch for?

High fevers, pain near a wound, a sickly appearance, rapid onset of symptoms and a wound that is moving.

“You can almost literally watch the redness creep along over minutes,” Belcher said.

It is critical, he said, to treat a potential case as an infectious disease emergency and not wait to seek treatment.

“The most important thing is that somebody suspects that necrotizing fasciitis exists. Quicker recognition tends to have better outcomes, given how quickly the tissues are destroyed,” he said. “That’s why it’s given the nickname flesh eating bacteria because tissue is destroyed so quickly.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at 317-444-6354 or shari.rudavsky@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.